New Year

Dear blog readers,

I just turned thirty and I got engaged!

For my thirtieth birthday, I bought myself this cool table top swift and a ball winder. Swift made by Oregon Woodworker and bought online--check them out, they are amazing. The whole thing comes apart, and I store it behind my bed.

Here's his-and-hers scarves by me. I knit the hat too. This was taken on our after Christmas trip to Gatlinburg, where Paul proposed.

Favorite Hat

I wear this hat just about every day. It's one of my favorite things I've ever made: it's warm, it's pretty, I love the color! The pattern is a free one from knit picks, Georgian Lace Cap. The yarn is Elsebeth Lavold Angora in turquoise (60% angora, 20% wool, 20% polymide). I made two for gifts.



Don't it make my hazel eyes green?

Mom'a Sontag

My mom's big hobby is Civil War reenacting. She regularly puts on a big ole skirt (that she hand sewed herself). For a while she's wanted me to knit her a sontag. It's a little like a cross between a shawl and a vest. It covers your back and has pieces that cross over your front and tie around your waist.
I was resistant to taking this project on because there is not an exact pattern: like many historical patterns it's more of a sketch of how it's done than something that takes you by the hand, telling you finished measurements and how many stitches you have at all times. Sigh. I have just had to let go and go with things.

I helped mom choose a beautiful merino Knit Picks DK yarn in hollyberry, with fedora (brown) for the crocheted border. Next, I chose a stitch pattern from Barbara Walker's A Treasury of Knitting called "diagonal weave." This is a slip-stitch pattern that looks a lot more difficult than it is. I expect it will be very warm!

Lace Ribbon Scarf

I'm blocking my Lace Ribbon Scarf. I knit it very leisurely from April until November on size 3 (size 3!!) needles. It's for me. I can't wait to try it out. It's so long I'm blocking it in two pieces. Here is the first half:

Doggie and Bunny

These are fast little projects from the book Sock and Glove. They are made from pairs of knit gloves ($1.50 for two pairs at Target), safety eyes, poly stuffing, buttons, and thread.

I think they are a cute size for little kids, though you'd need to make them more child-safe than these. Fun!

Namaste

I'm thrilled that I finished sewing my yoga mat bag, and I'm thrilled with the results! I used a free Amy Butler pattern. The stiff interfacing makes the bag very thick and durable, and there are long pockets around the bottom that you can't see too well in the picture. Most of the sewing is straight lines, so it's hard to mess up. I'll carry it proudly to yoga class.

Sewing progress

I'm coming along with my yoga mat bag bag. I used my fancy quilting ruler to mark chalk lines for the pocket seams.